Giving Tuesday :Scholarship Fundraiser

Underrepresented students have higher rates of student loan borrowing and lower rates of repayment - often due to racial income inequities. When you compound those with issues of accessibility to housing, financial illiteracy, and political policies that directly impact these communities, then racial wealth becomes more difficult to attain. Larry’s Legacy is a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce students' need to take on student loan debt and wealth gaps by providing scholarships for underrepresented students enrolling in skilled trade programs, colleges, or universities in 2024. The inaugural scholarship will enable selected students to focus on their studies without worrying primarily about finances.

My name is Jarred Johnson, and I launched Larry’s Legacy in honor of my father, Lawrence Johnson, who passed away in January 2022. Larry graduated from trade school as an electrician and began his career working in power plants at Con Edison, one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States. A program creating leadership opportunities for minorities gave him the opportunity to be the first person in his family to graduate with a college degree. Larry completed night courses at Pace University to earn his degree in business administration debt-free. With a lifelong belief that education is a path to financial and personal success, my father constantly advised underrepresented employees to advance in their careers by completing job-specific certifications or earning college degrees. I created the nonprofit Larry’s Legacy in the image of his career path.

When I graduated from college in 2010, the federal government bailed out major financial institutions, and the housing market collapsed. Due to these economic conditions, employers slowed hiring or outright stopped hiring. I recognize the privilege my father afforded me to graduate without student loans, and I’m driven to afford other students the same opportunity. With your support, we could change student's lives by eliminating their loan dependency and providing a brighter future and stronger communities.